JUBA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan has waived registration fees for local and international Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) operating in the East African nation in a bid to ease delivery of humanitarian aid, the country's relief agency said Monday.
The South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) issued a notice last week informing aid groups that registration fees for 2018 have been temporarily scrapped effective Jan. 24.
International aid organizations were previously paying 3,500 U.S. dollars annually and local NGOs charged 500 dollars.
Deng Tong Kenjok, Registrar General of NGOs at the RRC, said the waiver came after President Salva Kiir ordered the relief agency to drop the annual charges due to ongoing crisis and huge burden of funding humanitarian projects in the country.
"The commission shall continue to implement all registration requirements in the NGOs Act 2016, however all NGOs shall be required to pay service and administrative fees payable to the RRC," Kenjok wrote in a circular addressed to NGOs seen on Monday.
However, the waiver does not affect the annual work permit fees for foreign aid workers which were increased from 100 dollars to between 1,000 dollars and 4,000 dollars last year.
South Sudan has been embroiled in four years of conflict that has taken a devastating toll on the people, creating one of the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world.
A peace deal signed in August 2015 between the rival leaders under UN pressure led to the establishment of a transitional unity government in April, but was shattered by renewed fighting in July 2016.
The UN and other aid agencies have warned that least 1.5 million South Sudanese could face famine as the East African nation enters what has been described as the worst lean season in history between January and March.
